The Beat reviewed the Long Beach Comic and Horror Con and while there visited Pierre Bernard’s, Graphic Artist on Conan (O’Brien), Cosplay Drawing Session with the Gallery Girls acting out various scenes.

“Its recreating the Paris of the early 20th century, where all these artists and models would hang out together and create. There’s nothing else like that in LA right now.” Jennifer Fabos Patton describing her finely crafted workshops.

Current TV came and filmed one of the drawing nights at the infamous Bedlam speak easy. Click the link to view the video on Current TV’s site.

History

The Late Night Drawing Salons

The Gallery Girls’ infamous Late Night Drawing Salons are the creation of legendary art model, Sara Streeter. Sara’s dream was to recreate the fun and feel of Paris in the early 19th Century. During this artistic heyday, it is said you could go into any number of cafes, clubs and bars and find the top models of the Parisian art scene hanging out with famous artists – drinking, drawing and having fun.

Prior to the inception of the Late Night Drawing Salons, there was no central place where artists could gather within the huge L.A. metropolitan area. Sara’s vision was to create this much-needed single gathering point for everyone in L.A.’s huge and diverse artistic community, and to form a vibrant and creative space for artists and models alike.

The first Salons took place at a restaurant/bar called Haile’s (later Madeleine’s) in one of Pasadena’s beautiful historic buildings on Green Street. These epic drawing events were nicknamed “Haile’s Hades” and they soon became huge in L.A.’s underground art scene. Wonderful things came from them and all who were a part of them remember them fondly.

The Salons created more than a place for artists and models to work — they created a social space that brought people together and had a huge impact on personal lives. Couples hooked up, broke up, folks got together and created companies, and some forged lifelong friendships, all while making incredible art. (We also had some wonderful birthday parties and gallery shows with the work that was created.)

After Pasadena, the Salons found a new home in downtown L.A. at the infamous Bedlam Warehouse, one of the legendary spaces in the annals of Los Angeles’ underground art history. In this fabulous, multi-storied building run by the charismatic Jim Fitapaldi, the Late Night Drawing Salons gained even more renown – and notoriety. Bedlam’s “Hades on 6th Street” was considered a true speakeasy, and was even written up in L.A. Magazine’s “Best of L.A., January 2007,” as “Best Speakeasy…The granddaddy of them all, Bedlam, draws an artist-heavy crowd several nights a week to the warehouse district east of downtown.”

Today the Late Night Drawing Salons travel through many of L.A.’s best art-themed locations, bringing the opportunity for all night owl artists to come and draw from L.A.’s best art.

Long Pose Workshops

While the Late Night Drawing Salons are social events that aim to give models and artists opportunities to produce exciting new work together in a festive, late-night atmosphere, the Long Pose Workshops are daytime events geared toward painters.

The Long Pose Workshops were created after the Late Night Drawing Salons became famous. News spread, and many artists wanted to participate, but couldn’t stay up that late.

Jennifer Fabos Patton created the first Long Pose Workshops at The Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art (LAAFA). They are now held periodically in a variety of locations throughout the Los Angeles greater metropolitan area.

These workshops are designed with painters in mind. They are quieter, without the “bedlam” associated with the Salons. Painters at the Workshops have plenty of space to set up their easels and equipment.

Each Workshop provides fully decorated sets, with at least one model in each room, holding the same pose all day long. Every Workshop has a unique theme meant to inspire creativity in any artist.

If all of this wasn’t enough, Workshops are catered, with food and drinks, so artists only have to think about their art.